Wheel for tractors and certain farming implements



Nov. 3, 1925.

D. JAMES ET AL WHEEfi FOR TRACTORS AND CERTAIN FARMING IIlPLEIENTS Driginal Filed Oct. 8. 1923 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

DANIELJAMES, or nssnnnon, an]:

WILLIAM HENRrKEivnnLL, oretnnnox, vIoroRrA .-AUSTRALIA. y

WHEEL iron TnAc'roRs ANn CERTAIN FA M NG IMrLnME vTs.

(e -inn application filed embels, 1923, Serial No. 667,105. Divided and'this application filed January a, 1925. Serial No. 313. Y

TouZZ whom it mdg 00mm.-

Be it known that we, DANIEL James, a

subject of the King-of Great Britain, residing at Essendon, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, andlVILLIAM HnN'nY KENDELL, subject of the Kingof Great Britain, residing at Lubeck, inthe Stateof -Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to lVheels for Tractors and Certain Farming Implements,

ofwhich the following is'a specification.

g This invention relates to improvements in and connected wlth the wheels of tractors and certain farm implements such as cultivators, combined seed drills and cultivators No. 667,105 filed 8th October, 1923.

The primary object of the invention is to provideimprovements in the wheels of farm tractors, whereby'the Inachinescan be operated satisfactorily "even under adverse climatic conditions suchas exist in wetseasons or after heavy rain when the soil is rendered very soft and is of adhesive character. W s t A further object is to provide a wheel having an effective surface grip and provided with means to automatically free adhering soil whilst the machine is at work, whereby the wheel tread is maintained in a relatively clean condition although operating in mois and adhesive soils.

A still further object is to provide an improved construction of tractor wheel associated with a cleaning attachment whereby greatly improved seed-bed conditions will be obtained. This result is achieved by eliminating that damage to a field surface now occasioned by the operation of tractors after rain, when wheel track depressions are made in the field, and soil adhering to the elevation of the wheel and its associated cleaning devices.

e provide a main travelling wheel for a farm tractor having its rim composed of a plurality of annular elements of corresponding diameter and arranged in parallel relationship. Therim elements 3 are constructed in the form of annular bands ofrflat metal, and in the construction illustrated there are three of said annular metallic bands, each of which is approximately four inches'in width, while the interveningclearance spaces 4 are approximately three inches in width, thus providing a wheel rim having a width 'of approximately eighteen inches. The said rim elements are secured together at the required distances apart by means of a series of transverse connecting bars 5, which are circmnferentially distanced and function as distance pieces.

The connecting bars 5 are constructed of wrought or cast metal (preferably steel) and each; is formedwith two U-shaped memhere 6 having a width corresponding to that of said clearance spaces 4, with which they register when fitted to the rim elements.

1 The saidmetal connecting bars are rigidly secured to the interior surfaces of the flat metal rim elements by means of rivets or othenapproved fastening means, and they are of such numberandspaced equidistantly to provide effective bracing and reinforce ment, whereby the wheel will possess the requisite degree of durability.

The spaces 4 between the rim elements 5 and the spaces 7 between the transverse connecting bars provide ample clearance for the free passage of soil, which is initially broken and then removed from the exterior rim surface by the action of cleaning devices arranged and operating as hereinafter described.

The depth of said U-shaped members (5 formed on the transverse connecting bars 5 is such as will permit of free action therein between the rim elements 3 of rotary wheel cleaning devices without metal to metal contact of the integers such as would cause undue friction.

Each of these rotary wheel cleaning devices comprises a wheel 8 having a series of radial arms 9 arranged to operate within the clearance spaces 4 between the an- -tion of the shaftlO.

nular rim elements and being of such length as will project interiorly of the wheel perimeter. The wheels 8 are mounted on a shaft 10 supported in bearings carried by the tractor chassis rearwardly of the wheel.

Rotary motion is transmitted to said shaft 10 from'a rotating element of the tractor mechanism by chain and sprocket gearing 11, or by other approved power transmission means.

Each rim element 3 is provided with tread grip devices 12,which are preferably of the well-known spade type, and the grips on the intermediate rim element are positioned midway between the correspond ing grips that are affixed to the outer and to the inner of said rim elements.

In the operation under dry weatherconditions of a tractor equipped with wheels as described, the combined widths of the rim elements provide adequate surface grip, and the wheels by reason of the series of transverse connecting bars which func tion as braces,-will be found to be rigid and durable. hen the tractor is working in wet, soft and adhesive soil, (conditions which obtain in wet seasons and following heavy rainfall), the advantages of our improvements are made apparent. Slippage of the wheels is avoided, while the soil that adheres to the rim in the form of a false tyre is broken by the radial arms 9 operating within the clearance spaces t by the rota- Thie breakage of the false rim or tyre of adhering soil by the said arms acting between the rim elements results in theloosening of soil carried by the rim elements themselves, so thatthe rim of the wheel is maintained relatively clean, even when the tractor is workingin' very wet and adhesive soil and; the soil so broken and loosened is disintegrated by the action of said rotary cleaning devices and passes through the clearance spaces 4 and 7 and over the edges of said rim elements 3 to completely fill the depressions initially formed in the seed-bed by the tractor wheels.

Although our improvements are directed specially to wheels of farm tractors, it will be understood that the same may be applied to the wheels of certain farming implements i such as Cultivators and combined grain drills and cult-ivators, whose satisfactory operation in wet and adhesive soils is to a material degree dependent upon the main tenance of the wheels in a relatively clean condition by automatic removal of adhering soil without necessitating stoppage of cultivation operations for the purpose;

The term tractor in the appended claims is, therefore, to beunderstood to embrace Wheels of cultivating implementsof the character indicated.

What we do claim is: e

1. A tractor wheel having a plurality of annular rim elements arranged in parallel spaced relationship, transverse bar's rigidly connecting said rim elements, a shaft mounted in bearings carried by the tractor chassis rearwardly of the wheel, wheels fitted on said shaft, radial arms on each of said wheels operating within the clearance spaces between adjacent rim elements, and vmeans for rotating said shaft. e

V 2. A tractor wheel according to claim 1, wherein the bars connecting the rim elements are formed with U-sha'ped members that register with the clearance spaces between said rim elements. 7 c

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

DANIEL JAMES. 

